Tatler Travel Guide 2015

Shangri-La At The Shard

Step into your room and try, if you can, to lift your jaw up off
the floor. This is the most gobsmacking view in London, no
question. At 1,000ft, Renzo Piano's Shard is the highest building
in Western Europe, and, looking down on the ant-like pedestrians
scampering below, it's impossible not to slip into a zen-like calm.
The wonders of the capital lie all around but inside is pure
Orient: Asian-inspired decor, dim sum served alongside eggs royale
at breakfast, and utterly courteous service. Lounge by the pool by
day, staring at those views, or perch up against the glass in the
bar by night, where it feels a tiny bit like you're in Shanghai.
There are a few oddities: Ting restaurant serves Modern European
fare when you'd expect Chinese (still delicious, though) and with
all that glass around you, there's a strange sensation of being on
show. Still, this is the trophy sightseer's ultimate layover.